Infographics are becoming increasingly popular in the world of content. They take data, statistics and other information that the target audience might otherwise gloss over as boring, and present that information visually to make it more dynamic and more accessible. They’re also easy to share, which helps give them better circulation and increases their chances of going viral. All-in-all, infographics can be very beneficial to your brand in all sorts of ways. But how do you use them? What kind of information do you put in them? Here are some basic tips.
Content
The content of your infographic should be something that can be broken up into a series of points. A step-by-step process for how to do something. A list of important facts about your industry or reasons why your audience should get involved with a particular movement.
Don’t make it too long. Choose maybe five or six points and outline what you want to say about each one. If you’re having trouble getting the information together, you can always raid an old blog post for content. Beneath the shapes and images, the format is very similar: a series of bullet points to catch the eye of your audience.
Layout
First of all, include at least a couple of small pictures or graphics with each point you make. The purpose of infographics is to drive home a point visually, so the more visual content you have, the better it will function.
Second, once you’ve got an outline of your main steps or points, separate each of those points into a group of smaller, bite-sized factoids of a couple sentences apiece. Give each factoid its own space on the graphic. Some people choose to encase all or some of them in boxes, circles or other geometric shapes to make them stand out. You could even get a larger graphic, such as a chalkboard or a computer screen, and put several related factoids on it.
Finally, take any statistics or percentages you may have and make them stand out from the rest. Long lists of statistics can seem boring and hard to follow, but used sparingly, they’re easy to skim and make good takeaways.
Creation
For creating the infographic itself, your best bet is to hire a graphic designer. It’s the most effective way to ensure you get a high quality image that looks great and is compelling to your audience. If you or someone in your company is especially skilled in this area, you may decide to handle creating your own infographics. That’s fine, but remember that talent isn’t the only factor in play. Time and company resources are also an issue. Can you afford to take yourself or one of your employees away from their regular responsibilities for the time that it takes to complete the project? If you have the time, talent, and resources to spare, then by all means, go for it. Otherwise, it’s generally better to outsource this type of content, in order to reduce your own hassle.
